Demystifying JavaScript Closures, Callbacks and IIFEs

[Jeff_Mott]

@felgall

Inner functions always have access to outer functions variables - a closure is only created if those variables remain accessible after the outer function has closed.

Let’s be clear about something first. This isn’t the same argument you made above.

@felgall

A closure occurs when a variable or function defined inide of the inner function’s scope continues to be accessible to the outer function even after the inner function has returned. Just about the exact opposite of what you said.

The outer function never has access to the inner function’s variables. Rather, the inner function has access to the outer function’s variables. The article didn’t get it backwards, you did.

And finally, I would agree that a closure only seems useful if we use the inner function sometime after the outer has finished, but if we’re going to get technical, then the closure is actually created at the moment that we create the inner function.